India, Aug. 29 -- It was the early summer of 1989 when 18-year-old Sanjay Jha arrived in the Capital to begin his college years at Delhi University. Determined to make his parents proud, he had promised himself there would be no distractions - certainly not romance. But that resolve melted the very first time he stepped onto the University Special bus.

Launched in 1971 by the Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC), the U-Special - also known as the University Special or Youth Special - was never just a means of getting from one college to another. For nearly half a century, it was stitched into the very fabric of the "DU experience", carrying millions of students and their stories.

For Jha, the U-Special was the only place he could steal mom...